Via AAHomecare, WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 22, 2018)—Congressional leaders have concluded negotiations on omnibus legislation, and have just released bill text that Congress will vote on this week. While the legislative text does not include provisions from HR 4229, Capitol Hill sources have shared report language accompanying the bill that reaffirms Congressional interest in providing relief for rural suppliers, as noted on page 49 of the report section related to HHS:
Durable Medical Equipment—The agreement encourages CMS to promulgate the pending Interim Final Rule entitled “Durable Medical Equipment Fee Schedule, Adjustments to Resume the Transitional 50/50 Blended Rates to Provide Relief in Non-Competitive Bidding Areas.”
It is important to note that the report language to accompany the omnibus bill has not been officially released but it has been shared with us by multiple sources. We have a high degree of confidence that it is accurate.
“While we are gratified to see that Congress is again asking Federal officials to move the IFR forward, we are also concerned that leaders in the House and Senate have missed this opportunity to provide much-needed relief for home medical equipment providers and patients, especially those in rural America, by failing to include provisions from HR 4229,” remarked Tom Ryan, president and CEO of the American Association for Homecare. “We plan to leverage the omnibus report language to help convince officials at CMS, HHS and OMB to release the IFR or provide some other expedited form of relief for rural suppliers, while also working with our champions in Congress and other influential parties on Capitol Hill to move HR 4229 forward.”
“I want to thank the individual suppliers who have stood alongside AAHomecare, other industry stakeholder groups, and organizations representing HME patients in building strong support for HR 4229 and engaging legislators in hopes of getting relief in this omnibus bill,” added Ryan. “I look forward to working with this passionate and persistent group of advocates to keep the pressure on Congress and the Administration to deliver more sustainable reimbursement rates for our industry.”
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